Model Wigwam Project

 We aren't the biggest hands-on-crafty kind of family, but I do like to throw out the option for a couple projects each school year if I find things that seem worthwhile.   This post is about Will's project during our Native American studies.

            

Ben didn't choose to work on any projects during this time, as he had sewed some moccasins not too long ago for a merit badge requirement, but Will and I really enjoyed working on a model wigwam project together, which I found directions for here.  

We used materials from our property such as willow twigs and birch bark (rather than basket reeds and felt as suggested in the instructions) to give a more natural look to the project. The birch bark was conveniently on the ground so we didn't have to peel any trees.

Some of our supplies

Will created a paper template for the footprint of the wigwam and transferred it to our base, which was a large piece of heavy, corrugated cardboard.  He then measured and marked off the positioning of the willow post holes.

 Adding in the willow posts was a task done over the course of a week, as we needed to let glue dry in one section before moving on to the next.

Once all the posts were tied, Will cut and began to add pieces of birch bark to cover the frame.  We found that hot glue worked best to hold the pieces in place.  

 

No trees were harmed in the making of this wigwam.

Here it is completed and with a bit of landscaping. 

And a peek inside...

Will and I were both pleased with how well it turned out!  It was a great companion project to his St. Croix Dalles landscape from this year's science lessons as well.

First North Americans-Ben and Will's Studies

Continuing from an earlier post, I want to document the older boys' history studies from this year.  During the first weeks of our school year, Ben and Will spent time reading about Native Americans, with a focus on local tribes.

 Our organizing spines for history this year were Joy Hakim's A History of US, which was mostly for Will and Charlie, and K12's American Odyssey, for much of Ben's reading.

After reading topics from the texts, the boys dug into various sources for in-depth information.  Will began by choosing articles of interest from Cobblestone Magazine's Ojibwe of the Great Lakes issue.  The area in which we live is one of the traditional homeland areas for the Ojibwe, or Anishinabe Indians.   He combined this reading with info from  Life in an Anishinabe Camp.

Ben also started off with some magazine articles from one of our long-time go-to publications, Learning Through History magazine.  

To tie his learning in with local history, Ben read from An Account of the Battle of St. Croix Falls, by Rosemarie Vezina Braatz.  

From the introduction:

The Battle of St. Croix Falls dealt the decisive blow to the Fox Indians, who thereafter gave up the fight against the encroaching Chippewas (Ojibwe, Anishinabe)...and it reduced the strength and prestige of the Sioux in this river valley, so that they retreated to the open country to the west.  So great was this slaughter, that for years afterward, the Indians referred to this battleground as "The Valley of the Bones."

The wooded crags on the Dalles of the St. Croix, where this battle was fought, is right in the back yard of our favorite state park.  As we walk the trail there, it is chilling to think of the story of this fight.

 

 During this time our read alouds were Children of the Longhouse by Joseph Bruhac, and several Native American stories from Keepers of the Night, also by Bruhac and Michael J. Caduto. 

Next up, Will's wigwam project.

The First North Americans-Charlie's Studies

Now that the school year is wrapping up for us, I want to go back and hit some of the highlights from our history studies, as I didn't have time to blog about them previously.  This post will focus mostly on Charlie's 2nd grade readings and projects during our early Native Americans unit.

This year's study for history was the early American period.  I decided to concentrate on American history this year, rather than world, as I wanted to make one good pass at the formation of our country's government while Ben was in high school.   Early Modern is where we fell in the 4 year cycle this year anyway, so it felt like a perfect fit for us.

I chose Joy Hakim's A History of US series, in the concise editions, as our overview text for reading together.  History has always been a subject I've tried to keep the kids together on in some small way at least, and this text is what worked for us this year. We all have very much enjoyed this series.  Although the information is perhaps somewhat simple for a 9th grade course, it was perfect for William, and Charlie listened in as his interest dictated.  Ben also supplemented info from K12's American Odyssey as needed.

To start the year off, we spent a long time reading about the diverse tribes of Native Americans who lived here first. As the Hakim chapters covered the various tribes, the boys each read from other sources to get an in depth look. 

Charlie enjoyed reading with me from books such as North American Indians by Douglas Gorsline.  This little book gives a good introduction to many major tribes of the US.  The detailed illustrations look like beautiful watercolor paintings, and they seem to me to be respectful and accurate.  I've had this book for a number of years, and have always been charmed by it.

Charlie also read the Usborne title Who Were the First North Americans,   as well as If You Lived with the Hopi. Readings from Native Homes,  Life in a Longhouse Village and Life in an Anishinabe Camp, all by Bobbie Kalman, rounded out his reading.

During this time our read alouds were Children of the Longhouse by Joseph Bruhac, and several Native American stories from Keepers of the Night, also by Bruhac and Michael J. Caduto. 

As for projects, Charlie worked on a few simple things for this topic.  First, as he did his reading about each tribe, and learned where and how they lived in North America, he made a representation of a native home out of paper and we put it up on our map.

He also kept a notebook for narrations and drawings.  Some drawings were freehand, some he followed directions for in Draw Write Now, Book 3.  This is another book I've had forever and I'm glad I held onto it.  Charlie enjoyed working on his own with this book to create some pretty nice drawings!

His final project was to make a medicine pouch.  I picked up the kit for this at a local craft store.  This required very simple sewing with leather cording and a large needle.  Perfect for Charlie's skill level.

He was pleased with the outcome, and keeps rocks in it now.

That's about all for Charlie's tour through our early Native American studies.  Next time I'll post about the materials Will and Ben used during these weeks. 

Planning History Readings

So, I have collected all my main texts for our Early Modern History Study this fall, now the question is, how will I schedule and use them?  History has always been a "do together" time for us, as it is just more interesting that way, and we can all sit and discuss topics as they present themselves. However, with a high school student, a middle schooler and a 2nd grader, I'm having a harder time combining levels these days.  

 What can I read aloud with the kids to make our history time feel connected?

• Ben's readings from K12's American Odyssey would be to much for Charlie and Will.

•  Joy Hakim's History of US (again from K12, concise editions) would be perfect for Will, but perhaps too easy for Ben.

•  Charlie may or may not like Hakim at this point, but I wouldn't make it required listening for him.  I plan to use age-appropriate lit and picture books for him.

• And I don't know about how I'll use the encyclopedias yet, either, if at all.  

 

• Will it suffice to use Story of the World 3 for all the kids for world history events, or should Ben also read from Human Odyssey vol. 2?

Decisions, decisions.  Will I ever learn???

I'll be tossing this around in my head for a while, I'm sure, and would love to hear any ideas if you have them!   Save me from myself and my need to use every resource imaginable!!! (but they're all so good!!)

The Merry Wives of Windsor

As a part of our summer Shakespeare studies, I wanted to take the boys to see a live performance, because, of course, Shakepeare's plays were originally written to be watched, not read!  Doing a quick search on the internet, I was able to come up with a few choices of venue locally for some Shakespeare in the park. It was especially exciting to find out that a favorite locale of ours, the Franconia Sculpture Park, was presenting The Merry Wives of Windsor, as a part of their weekend concert series this past Saturday.

 The weather was gorgeous, so we packed a picnic dinner and spent a great evening with friends and the Cromulent Shakespeare Company.  Having prepared the boys with the plot beforehand, they were able to follow the storyline easily and even picked up on much of the humorous word play.  I'm so glad we went!

John Falstaff-A favorite character of Queen Elizabeth!

Sir Hugh and Doctor Caius

Mistress Ford and Mistress Page-The Merry Wives

Mistress Quickly

Falstaff, you Banbury Cheese!

Full cast, final bow.

Our hillside seating

Sunset over Sculpture.  Time to go home after an excellent evening!

Shakespeare Summer

Monkey Island Academy officially put a fork in the 2011-12 school year earlier this month, but we still have some interesting and educational plans simmering on the back burners for the summer, a study of Shakespeare being among those plans.  Here is a bit of what we have done so far...

We have enjoyed a few leisurely readings from Leon Garfield's Shakespeare Stories. These well-written takes on  Shakespeare's plays make him more accessible to the younger set.

Continuing with our tea time readings this summer, our focus has been on a couple of Shakespeare's more well known sonnets ( 18-Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? & 116- Let me not to the marriage of true minds...) with discussion questions from The Harp and the Laurel Wreath by Laura Berquist.  This was one of my first home school book acquisitions, and one which I refer to often for poetry selections for memorization and discussion.

The older boys and  I are currently listening to Bill Bryson's Shakespeare The World as Stage.  This is fantastic.  Ben and I listened to it last year in the car, and the information about Shakespeare's life, family, and the culture of the times he lived in, held us in rapt attention every moment.  The second listen does not disappoint, either. 

We also watched part of In Search of Shakespeare, a PBS production hosted by Michael Wood.  This was perfect to occupy some time during our recent rainy spell.

We have done all this on a very casual basis, and the boys seem to be enjoying our studies.  I have a few more tricks up my sleeve to add to the study, including a live performance, and will post again as we get to them. Stay tuned!

All Things Monkish

The last few weeks of our history studies have had a focus around monks and monasteries.  Fascinating!  Our spine continues to be K12's Human Odyssey, but we have added so much to it.  Here are some oof the resources we have been enjoying thus far:

Learning through history magazine has been a wonderful source of focused history topics for us for a number of years now.  Recently Ben has read about the Venerable Bede and the Lindisfarne Gospels.

 St Francis was covered by Will and Charlie in these beautiful picture books:

Canticle of the Sun


Our current read aloud is The Hidden Treasure of Glaston, a book that I almost passed by because our library doesn't carry a copy, and it is  expensive at Amazon (10.00).  

  Since you don't see it on many book lists, I was hesitant to spend the money.  Luckily I found it for $1.00, like new, at a local home school book sale! Score!  I just have to say, knowing what I know now, I wouldn't hesitate to spend the $10.00 at Amazon.  It is such a well written book, with great mystery and suspense.  Secret passages, fabulous treasure, King Arthur!  Early in the book we are introduced to Henry II, and Thomas a Beckett, so we side-tracked and did a little research on them. We will also be exploring more about the real Glastonbury soon, as well.We all love it so far! 

Ben and Will are both reading Geraldine McCaughrean's retelling of the Canterbury Tales and enjoying it.  Before they started, I read to them the Prologue from a modern adult translation, and we then listened to this short reading of the first 17 lines or so in Middle English.

Currently we are coming to readings about the birth of Islam in our K12 book, and the boys will be reading stories from the Arabian Nights, as well as learning about the crusades before we delve into the world of Kings, Nobles, Knights and Serfs.  

History Reading

Finally! 

We have started to dig in to the middle ages books that have been waiting patiently for us in tempting stacks these past couple months.  Gladiators and centurions were exciting and interesting but we certainly have had our fill and are ready to bid them a fond farewell.  

I decided to change things up slightly from our WTM mode of history studies (read from overview, read addition books on topic, move to next topic. Repeat.), and take a bit more of a Charlotte Mason tack.  I will still be using K12's Human Odyssey as an overview, and the boys will each have several books on different topics/people going at once.  I'm not going to worry too much about specific topics from the overview meshing with their independent reading.  It should all just come together for them as a wide-scope timey-wimey ball of history... stuff.  How's that for clear as mud?

This week Ben is reading...

The Voyage of Saint Brendan.  Legend has it Brendan sailed to sea in a leather boat, encountering strange islands and mystical birds and beasts.  Possibly even making the journey to "discover" America before Columbus.  This particular book by John Joseph O'Meara is a translation from a Latin story written about 200 years after Brendan's death. The Latin itself was based upon earlier oral and written accounts from around 100 years after the time Brendan lived.  It doesn't talk much about the details- the salt spray or plunging of the boat in heavy seas- but rather illuminates the rituals of monastic life at the time; how Brendan and his brothers kept feast days, chanted divine office, and took part in long fasts. etc. during their time away. Many times they are aided by talking animals or the appearance of miraculous meals. It is an interesting mix of Celtic paganism and christian spirituality. 

King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table- There are so many versions of Arthur to choose from!  I finally pulled the trigger and chose this one for Ben.  Well written and not too graphic with the Mordred/Morgana/Lancelot/Gwen stories.  

We also all listened to this during trips in the car-

Very gripping, very well done, and very much available at my local library!

Beowulf the Warrior-The original story of Beowulf was written sometime during the 7th or 8th centuries. This particular adaptation/translation appealed to me because Serallier retains a nice rhythm in his writing which is reminiscent of the original.

The Children of Odin-Padraic Colum is a great story teller.  Nice versions of the Northern Myths.

This week Will is reading...

Brendan the Navigator by Jean Fritz.  She does a great job telling the tale of Brendan  with all the fanciful monsters and miracles associated with him, as well as offering some historical insight on what may have actually happened on this voyage.

Of Swords and Sorcerers:The Adventures of King Arthur and His Knights- I have become a big fan of Margaret Hodges.  Her writing never disappoints.  This book contains some of the main tales of Arthur and his knights, including the sword in the stone, Guinevere, the round table and the quest for the Grrrrrrrrrrrailllll.

Beowulf, A Hero's Tale Retold-Will could probably tackle the Serralier book Ben is reading, but this one is soooo lushly illlustrated, it is not to be missed!  But make no mistake, just because this is a picture book does not mean it is written in a simplistic style.  James Rumford presents this tale of bravery and gore using only Anglo-Saxon words still present in our language, making for a tale that recalls the boldness of the original. 

D' Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths-The illustrations in this book are so beautiful! One of my favorite books of myths.

This week Charlie is Reading... 

Saint Patrick by Ann Tompert- A straight-forward telling of Patrick's conversion to Christianity, capture by Celtic pirates, and how he eventually became a priest and a bishop.  The author based her writing on a letter written by Patrick in his old age called "Confession'.  In her notes she also includes legends about Patrick including a story about a stubborn snake who refused to be driven from Ireland-my favorite!

Beowulf-from Favorite Medieval Tales by Mary Pope Osborne.  Also one of our favorite authors.  This version of Beowulf was just right for Charlie.  Suspense and thrills but not too much gore. I read this aloud to him.

Arthur and the Sword-Great stained glass illustrations.  Ben read this one to Charlie. Basic story of Arthur becoming king.

The Kitchen Knight-The only thing better than Margaret Hodges is Margaret Hodges with illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman.  Gorgeous!  The tale of Sir Gareth of Orkney and the Red Knight.  I read this aloud to Charlie and he was so into it!  He could barely stand the pause in the story as I took my time turning the pages!

The Sword in the Tree-Charlie is reading this on his own and enjoying it.  Adventures of a young boy in the time of King Arthur.